Chapter 249 - The Fight (1/2)

The Death Eaters were all yelling, there were cries of pain, thunderous crashes as the shelves collapsed upon themselves, weirdly echoing fragments of the Seers unleashed from their spheres —

A Death Eater lunged forward through the cloud of dust and Chris and Hermione both shot the stunning spell, the Death Eater flew backwards. Chris found the way ahead clear and saw Ron, Ginny, and Luna sprint past her, their arms over their heads. Jason, Harry and Colin were shooting spells left and right without looking. Chris lost count how many people she jinxed and stunned. She made the path clear to make every one of friends to keep running.

The door through which they had come was ajar straight ahead, Chris could see the glittering light of the bell jar, she pelted through it, and waited for the others to hurtle over the threshold before slamming the door behind them —

”Colloportus!” gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

There were a few seconds of pause. The only sound was their heavy breathing noise.

”Everyone okay?” asked Ron.

”You need to get out of here, now,” said Chris straightening up.

”What?” said others in unison.

”Listen this is more than we bargained for,” said Chris calmly. ”We can't leave Tonks' parents but we all can't fight either. You all need to go.”

”Exactly where do you suggest we go?” asked Ginny crossing her arm.

”Anywhere but here,” said Chris. ”Gin, they won't hesitate to kill you, they had —”

The knot inside her stomach tightened.

”She is right, Ginny,” said Harry quietly. ”They had killed Tonks' father.”

Hermione gasped, Ginny, Jason and others' eyes widened in shock.

Footsteps and shouts echoed from behind the door they had just sealed but nobody moved. Then came Ethan's roaring noise, ”Don't take that tone with me, Bellatrix, you also called yourself the best dweller among Dark Lord's servant. I didn't see you stopping those teenagers either.”

”But I will show you what's the best dweller —” Bellatrix began angrily.

”Stop it,” snapped Malfoy. ”The Dark Lord will not care who did this if we don't get the Prophecy.”

”Don't act like you are in-charge here, Lucius,” spat Bellatrix. ”Let's look around, they couldn't leave the building.”

”What do we do?” Hermione asked, trembling from head to foot.

”We stay alive and keep each other safe,” said Colin.

”Colin —” Harry opened his mouth in protest.

”We are three years older than the first time Ron and Hermione went with you to stop Riddle from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone,” said Ginny so fiercely that at that moment, she almost looked like Mrs. Weasley.

”We knew what we were getting into, Chris,” said Neville.

Chris looked around her friends and then met Jason's eyes. He was shaken but looked equally determined.

At that moment, they heard something large and heavy collide with the door Hermione had charmed shut.

”Under the desks,” grumbled Chris before running.

”Stand aside!” said a rough voice behind the door. ”Alohomora!”

As the door flew open, they all dived under desks. They could see the bottom of the four Death Eaters' robes drawing nearer, their feet moving rapidly.

”They might've run straight through to the hall,” said the rough voice.

”Check under the desks,” said another.

Chris saw the knees of the Death Eaters bend. Then as at the same time she cast the stunning spell Harry poked his wand and screamed, ”STUPEFY!”